In this episode, we explore the critical role lithium plays in the clean renewable energy transition, focusing on the potential of the Salton Sea in the Southern California desert as a lithium-rich resource. Well, there has been plenty of hype from industry as well as some clean energy advocates and environmentalists saying this could be the answer to many environmental problems with hard rock mining and brine evaporation for lithium around the world. We feature an interview with Dr. James J. A. Blair of Cal Poly Pomona, as well as multiple news reports, testimony from Preston Arrow-weed, a Quechan-Kamia knowledge keeper, Christian Torres from Comite Civico del Valle in Brawley, Dr. Ali Sharbat of Cal Poly Pomona, and Daniela Flores of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition.
Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Also, check out two pieces published on PBS SoCal, host Jack Eidt’s project with art-photojournalist Osceola Refetoff, where these issues are illustrated with incredible visuals from both the Salton Sea and Chile.
White Snake of Knowledge: Lithium Boom on the Salton Sea: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/the-white-snake-of-knowledge-a-lithium-boom-at-the-salton-sea
Green Extractivism: Can Our Deserts Survive Our Thirst for Lithium: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/green-extractivism-can-our-deserts-survive-our-thirst-for-lithium
More on the environmental justice advocacy in the Salton Sea: https://ccvhealth.org/hells-kitchen?lang=us
In our third segment we share an interesting discussion from the 2025 Bioneers Conference around the impacts of clean energy balanced with the urgent need to transition away from climate-wrecking fossil fuels with Bill McKibben of Third Act and 350.org Co-Founder, Colette Pichon Battle from Taproot Earth, and Eriel Deranger from Indigenous Climate Action. Join us as we delve into the intersection of technology, environmental justice, and community impact in the pursuit of clean energy.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Sources:
Dr. James J. A. Blair [https://www.jamesjablair.com/] is an author, environmental consultant, and Associate Professor in Geography and Anthropology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His work centers on energy, water, and environmental justice, especially related to extractive industries, including mining, fossil fuels, dams, logging, and fishing. Specific case studies include: geothermal lithium extraction at the Salton Sea in California; lithium mining, hydroelectric dams, and industrial logging in Chile and Argentina; as well as offshore oil and commercial fishing in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes on desert environmental and cultural issues for an L.A.-Press-Club-honored project on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation, and energy needs.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 272
Photo credit: Jack Eidt
All content for EcoJustice Radio is the property of SoCal 350 Media and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
In this episode, we explore the critical role lithium plays in the clean renewable energy transition, focusing on the potential of the Salton Sea in the Southern California desert as a lithium-rich resource. Well, there has been plenty of hype from industry as well as some clean energy advocates and environmentalists saying this could be the answer to many environmental problems with hard rock mining and brine evaporation for lithium around the world. We feature an interview with Dr. James J. A. Blair of Cal Poly Pomona, as well as multiple news reports, testimony from Preston Arrow-weed, a Quechan-Kamia knowledge keeper, Christian Torres from Comite Civico del Valle in Brawley, Dr. Ali Sharbat of Cal Poly Pomona, and Daniela Flores of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition.
Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Also, check out two pieces published on PBS SoCal, host Jack Eidt’s project with art-photojournalist Osceola Refetoff, where these issues are illustrated with incredible visuals from both the Salton Sea and Chile.
White Snake of Knowledge: Lithium Boom on the Salton Sea: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/the-white-snake-of-knowledge-a-lithium-boom-at-the-salton-sea
Green Extractivism: Can Our Deserts Survive Our Thirst for Lithium: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/green-extractivism-can-our-deserts-survive-our-thirst-for-lithium
More on the environmental justice advocacy in the Salton Sea: https://ccvhealth.org/hells-kitchen?lang=us
In our third segment we share an interesting discussion from the 2025 Bioneers Conference around the impacts of clean energy balanced with the urgent need to transition away from climate-wrecking fossil fuels with Bill McKibben of Third Act and 350.org Co-Founder, Colette Pichon Battle from Taproot Earth, and Eriel Deranger from Indigenous Climate Action. Join us as we delve into the intersection of technology, environmental justice, and community impact in the pursuit of clean energy.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Sources:
Dr. James J. A. Blair [https://www.jamesjablair.com/] is an author, environmental consultant, and Associate Professor in Geography and Anthropology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His work centers on energy, water, and environmental justice, especially related to extractive industries, including mining, fossil fuels, dams, logging, and fishing. Specific case studies include: geothermal lithium extraction at the Salton Sea in California; lithium mining, hydroelectric dams, and industrial logging in Chile and Argentina; as well as offshore oil and commercial fishing in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes on desert environmental and cultural issues for an L.A.-Press-Club-honored project on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation, and energy needs.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 272
Photo credit: Jack Eidt
No More Joshua Trees? Climate Change in the Desert
EcoJustice Radio
1 hour 16 seconds
2 weeks ago
No More Joshua Trees? Climate Change in the Desert
The Joshua tree is an icon and ecological keystone of the California deserts. However, climate disruption with hotter, drier summers and more frequent brush fires, threatens that some day soon Joshua Tree National Park will no longer have any Joshua trees.
We discuss these systems and investigate what solutions are needed. Are solar farms in the desert an appropriate renewable energy solution, or do they cause more harm than good? What about the consequences of lithium mining in Death Valley for electric vehicles? Did you know it is not a wise idea to grow your own Joshua Tree from imported seeds?
Our guest, James Cornett [https://www.amazon.com/stores/James-W.-Cornett/author/B001K84BWE?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true], is an ecologist, author, and principal biologist at JWC Ecological Consultants. He is one of the West's most prolific writers with more than forty-four books published. As former Director of Natural Sciences at the Palm Springs Desert Museum, he continues to share his love of natural history through writing, teaching, and lecturing. He is the first professional naturalist to have visited all nine of the world's great deserts and is writing a book on his travels and research in each.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 111
EcoJustice Radio
In this episode, we explore the critical role lithium plays in the clean renewable energy transition, focusing on the potential of the Salton Sea in the Southern California desert as a lithium-rich resource. Well, there has been plenty of hype from industry as well as some clean energy advocates and environmentalists saying this could be the answer to many environmental problems with hard rock mining and brine evaporation for lithium around the world. We feature an interview with Dr. James J. A. Blair of Cal Poly Pomona, as well as multiple news reports, testimony from Preston Arrow-weed, a Quechan-Kamia knowledge keeper, Christian Torres from Comite Civico del Valle in Brawley, Dr. Ali Sharbat of Cal Poly Pomona, and Daniela Flores of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition.
Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Also, check out two pieces published on PBS SoCal, host Jack Eidt’s project with art-photojournalist Osceola Refetoff, where these issues are illustrated with incredible visuals from both the Salton Sea and Chile.
White Snake of Knowledge: Lithium Boom on the Salton Sea: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/the-white-snake-of-knowledge-a-lithium-boom-at-the-salton-sea
Green Extractivism: Can Our Deserts Survive Our Thirst for Lithium: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/green-extractivism-can-our-deserts-survive-our-thirst-for-lithium
More on the environmental justice advocacy in the Salton Sea: https://ccvhealth.org/hells-kitchen?lang=us
In our third segment we share an interesting discussion from the 2025 Bioneers Conference around the impacts of clean energy balanced with the urgent need to transition away from climate-wrecking fossil fuels with Bill McKibben of Third Act and 350.org Co-Founder, Colette Pichon Battle from Taproot Earth, and Eriel Deranger from Indigenous Climate Action. Join us as we delve into the intersection of technology, environmental justice, and community impact in the pursuit of clean energy.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Sources:
Dr. James J. A. Blair [https://www.jamesjablair.com/] is an author, environmental consultant, and Associate Professor in Geography and Anthropology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His work centers on energy, water, and environmental justice, especially related to extractive industries, including mining, fossil fuels, dams, logging, and fishing. Specific case studies include: geothermal lithium extraction at the Salton Sea in California; lithium mining, hydroelectric dams, and industrial logging in Chile and Argentina; as well as offshore oil and commercial fishing in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes on desert environmental and cultural issues for an L.A.-Press-Club-honored project on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation, and energy needs.
Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 272
Photo credit: Jack Eidt
